After prying ourselves off the beach, we flew to the island of Penang, off the north west coast of Malaysia. The main town of Georgetown, now a Unesco World Heritage city, is undergoing a vibrant restoration. Our small hotel, the Ren I Tang, was located in the heart of the Indian section of town. It felt as if we had landed in India. Incredible. Loud speakers blaring Indian music, food cooking everywhere along the street, sari clad woman and dark skinned men. Wild activity. Our first morning we opened our shutters and all the sights and smells and sounds of India came in with a vengeance. We've eaten rich spicy curries with naan, dal and samosas. There is much diversity in the city with large populations of Malay, Chinese and Indians all living together and creating wonderful food. The old shop houses were especially lovely as they had beautiful tiles and covered walkways. Many have been restored and many more are in various states of ruin, but still lived in. I loved the tiles and the covered walkways which help shield you from the brutal sun. It is hot! We walked around in the early part of the day and then had to take a break in our room until it cooled off and a hint of a breeze came up, around 6:30. Then we were off again for cold beers and dinner. The week slipped by in our simple routine of walking, eating and resting. Lots of street art, colorful characters, and nice helpful locals who are obviously proud of their heritage.
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